In the post-Golden Football era, Malele has become a "big fish" in the winter transfer window! After playing for two years at Shanghai Shenhua, Malele demonstrated strong attacking power and creativity, even though he wasted some opportunities, he remained a sought-after target by many clubs. There were previous reports that Malele was locked down by Dalian Yiben, and recently rumors linked him with Shanghai Port, causing panic among Dalian fans! However, can Port take on a foreign aid discarded by Shenhua? It seems that Malele is still more likely to be Yiben's target.
Every winter transfer window, there are often fluctuations in the signings of domestic and foreign players before they are officially announced. Currently, many players have not completed their signings, and multiple teams are competing, all eligible to negotiate. For a player like Malele, who is a starting forward in a championship-contending team, coming to a relegation-threatened team like Dalian is something that fans previously dared not imagine. Does Yiben have enough financial resources and influence? At least for the first year, they do; Yiben investor Wang Kui claimed an investment of 150 million yuan, which is no idle boast.
Some Dalian fans expressed that even if Malele doesn't come, they can understand. Recently, there have been rumors linking Boakye with Yiben. Some fans jokingly said, "Malele changed to Boakye? Isn't this getting worse with each choice? Will we end up signing Manzoki?" Does Shanghai Port pick up what others have left behind? They have done so in the past, such as former Guangzhou Evergrande players Elkeson and Conca, and Xu Xin, who played for both Guangzhou Evergrande and Shandong Luneng. Now, four foreign players have left.
However, Malele is still very likely to join Dalian Yiben! Why? Because Yiben showed great sincerity in negotiating with Malele, offering a contract that was almost impossible to refuse, making it difficult for them to be intercepted in the domestic transfer market. Unless a West Asian club offers a significant sum to sign Malele, it is unlikely that he would switch from Shenhua to direct competitors Shanghai Port. The demand for Malele from Port is not as strong as Yiben's. Malele's agent also did not look for other options.
Dalian Yiben mainly plays with four holding midfielders, switching between a 4-3-3 and 4-5-1 formation. The holding midfielders and center-backs are crucial, and there have been rumors linking several foreign players to these positions. Currently, it is highly likely that they will sign Macedonian international Alimi, reducing the defensive pressure on Lü Peng. As for Italian Serie A defender Balba, due to his existing contract, he raised his price during negotiations, leading Yiben to focus on former Beijing Guoan defender Mamadou, who is now basically secured.
So far, Dalian Yiben has basically locked down five foreign players: striker Kalanga staying, midfielder Labiade, former Shenhua forward Malele, Macedonian international Alimi, and former Beijing Guoan center-back Mamadou. To reiterate, before the club officially announces, if another club aggressively intercepts, it is a common occurrence in the transfer market. Modern professional football is primarily about financial competition; whoever spends more money within the rules has more say.
[If you enjoy "Hilong's View of the World," please follow for more insights into Chinese football without getting lost.]